Speaking to media persons prior to the party workers meet at the party office here on Thursday, V S Ugrappa charged that BJP has undermined the democratic set up by seizing the powers vested in local bodies. “Panchayath Raj system is the root of democracy. The polls should be held irrespective of party politics,” he added.

Stating that the BJP has politicised the polls to the utmost extent, he said the whole system has been corrupted. BJP’s win in the BBMP polls signifies the role of muscle and money power exhorted on the voters. “If BJP had faith in the decentralisation of powers, it would not have delayed BBMP polls for a long period,” he added.

“Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has announced that he will appoint Vigilance Committees to look over the affairs of Gram Panchayath administration. The move indicates Yeddyurappa’s lack of confidence in the public decision,” he charged.

The Gram Panchayaths across the country were given additional support by the Congress government that always believed in three tier system of local governance, Ugrappa added. The S M Krishna government had allotted Rs 5 lakh per Gram Panchayath every year. Whereas, the current allocation from State government is only Rs 1 lakh per year. “If Central government stops release of funds, all Gram Panchayaths in the State will have to lock its doors,” he ridiculed.

Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council Motamma accused BJP of indulging in misusing powers by purchasing voters. “The State government has snatched the powers from the local administrators and has made MLAs accountable for all the major financial transactions. Right from the provisions of 12th Finance Commission recommendations to the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, everything is concentrated in the hands of MLAs. The State government is misusing the allotments made by the Central government under various provisions, she added. The BJP won BBMP polls by muscle and money power, she said adding that they cannot expect the same victory in Gram Panchayath polls.

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